– The Royals kicked off the first of the two “Competitive Balance” rounds with Indiana State left-hander Sean Manaea, suggesting that they did have a plan in place when they shocked everyone by reaching for shortstop Hunter Dozier with the eighth pick. Still, it all makes one wonder why they didn’t just take Manaea first; anyone could have grabbed Manaea and Dozier most likely would have been their at No. 34. Plus, that way, if they didn’t get Manaea signed, they would have been compensated with the ninth overall pick next year.

Manaea was viewed as a likely top-five overall pick before going down at the end of college season with a sore shoulder and a hip injury, which is reported to be a torn labrum. He’s thrown in the mid-90s and shown a plus slider. If Manaea feels good about his arm, his best bet might be to go back to school and work his way back to being a top-five pick next year. If, on the other hand, he feels he has reason to worry, the smart move would be to take the Royals’ offer, which figures to be well above slot using the extra cash they have left over from Dozier’s slot.

Of course, both of those scenarios should scare the Royals a bit. And it’s not as though they have the best track record when it comes to developing young arms.

– The Reds pulled off a surprise drafting 38th. That’s right around where Cal State Fullerton product Michael Lorenzen was expected to go, but while the assumption was that he’d be drafted as an outfielder, the Reds called his name as a pitcher. Lorenzen served as Fullerton’s closer and has a great fastball, but he’ll be a project on the mound. Interestingly, the Reds still plan to let him hit while developing him as a pitcher, so he will have something to fall back on.

– Unless you want to count Lorenzen, University of Texas closer Corey Knebel was the first pure reliever off the board, going 39th to the Tigers. He makes plenty of sense for a contender with bullpen trouble; if the Tigers can get him signed quickly, it’s possible he’ll see time in the majors down the stretch. He doesn’t possess quite the same stuff as their other top relief prospect, Bruce Rondon, but he does have better control. For the long haul, the Tigers would probably prefer to see Rondon emerge as the closer and Knebel as the eighth-inning guy.

– The Red Sox made junior college co right-hander Teddy Stankiewicz the 45th overall selection a year after the Mets drafted him 75th overall out of high school and failed to sign him. It was higher than he was expected to go, as some question whether he has the offspeed pitches to make it as a starter. His future might be brighter in relief.

– Stanford outfielder Austin Wilson slipped to the Mariners at No. 49, which is a good 15 or 20 spots lower than anticipated. After a solid sophomore year in which he hit .285/.389/.493, he missed time the start of this year with an elbow injury and didn’t show a lot of progress at the plate after returning, batting .288/.387/.475. On the plus side, he did cut back on the strikeouts somewhat. He’s a second potential big bat for the Mariners after they drafted New Mexico’s D.J. Peterson in round one.

– Speaking of D.J. Peterson, his little brother, Dustin, went 50th overall to the Padres. He’s committed to Arizona State, but he is believed to be signable.

– That both Tommy Joseph and Sebastian Valle are in the midst of such disappointing seasons may have played a role in the Phillies’ decision to draft Andrew Knapp 53rd overall. He was the first college catcher off the board.

– Pitchers with arm action like Tyler Danish’s aren’t typically second-round picks, but Danish, an 18-year-old committed to Florida, was grabbed by the White Sox at No. 55. The fact that he’s consistently in the low-90s with his fastball was enough to overcome his unconventionality. Check out the video:

– Left-hander Dillon Overton, drafted 63rd by the A’s, followed No. 3 overall pick Jonathan Gray in the Oklahoma rotation this year, giving Sooners opponents quite the different look. While Gray overpowered with his heater, Overton is more of a finesse guy with a curve and a change. He’s probably going to be a bottom-of-the-rotation guy.

– Another rarity: high school second basemen as early draft picks. The Yankees took one named Gosuke Katoh with the 66th pick. Katoh, who spent parts of his childhood in Japan and in the U.S., is a left-handed hitter with a line drive swing and very good speed.

– Besides the Royals’ pick of Dozier, the fact that Jon Denney is still unselected after 73 picks might be the biggest surprise of day one of the draft. Denney, a high school catcher, was rated by MLB.com as the draft’s No. 20 prospect.

Harvey, 29, spent 2018 with the Mets and Reds, posting an aggregate 4.94 ERA with a 131/37 K/BB ratio in 155 innings. He started off poorly with the Mets, so they traded him to the Reds in early May. He pitched much better in Cincinnati.

Harvey should have a spot secured at the back of the Angels’ rotation, but health and performance can always change that leading up to Opening Day.